The largest festival to date, it has branched out from the Institut français to other London venues: the Ritzy Cinema (11-17 May), the Greenwich Picturehouse (16 & 20 May), the V&A (26/27 May & 2/3 June) and the British Museum (22 June).

This year’s line-up again includes a broad mix of films from across the globe, many shown for the first time in the UK. There’s new work by festival favourite Tony Gatlif (Transylvania), Singapore’s Royston Tan (4:30) and Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, who will join audiences for a screening of his first film Bye Bye Africa and for previews of his latest feature, Daratt (Dry Season). From Egypt, two modern portraits of the capital — These Girls and The Yacoubian Building — will screen with Youssef Chachine’s 1957 classic Cairo Station. And from Algeria, director Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche will join us for screenings of his dyptic Wesh Wesh, What’s Up? and Bled Number One, shown here in conjunction with recent video work by artist Zineb Sedira, part of a large strand of films examining what it means to be Algerian today. Screening as a counterpoint to these contemporary films will be the 1965 classic The Battle of Algiers followed by a Q&A with Saadi Yacef, a veteran of the battle, producer and actor in the film and author of the book on which the film is based. Among other guests joining us will be actor Birol Ünel (star of 2004’s Head On) for the preview screening of Transylvania, Kazakh director Rustam Khamdamov (Vocal Parallels), and from Argentina, Alexis Dos Santos, director of the coming-of-age tale Glue.

On the talks programme this year are a celebration of the life and work of Nicolas Bouvier, the greatest travel writer of the French-speaking world, a discussion on the rise of Anti-Occidentalism, and talks with contemporary authors Gisèle Pineau and Shusha Guppy on their new books.

Music this year comes from Tziganiada, a group of gypsy musicians working with French world fusion maestro DJ Click, and from Shrine DJs Max Reinhardt and Rita Ray, who will spin a slamming digital mash up for the festival launch party.

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